Write a review

John Lewis: Partnership Card reviews

Name: Partnership Card
Rating: 1.33 (876 reviews)

View other John Lewis products

1.33

Based on 876 reviews, last reviewed 25th Sep 2025

100% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

25% increase in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

88%

Latest highest rating:

5

had a partnership card for years now. had a partnership card for years now. love the rewards vouchers on spends and the points you are awarded for using their credit card which i normally ... Read more Reviewed on: 12th June 2025

Latest lowest rating:

1

If your phone is stolen, you cannot verify anything. I had my phone and card stolen, to cancel your card you need your phone... to do anything, you need your phone. So then decided to used the chat servi... Read more Reviewed on: 25th September 2025

Read all reviews See your review

About this product

Read our John Lewis Finance Partnership Card reviews to help you to find out about the pros and cons of taking out the Partnership credit card. What kind of features does the John Lewis Partnership card have? What do people think of John Lewis' customer service? Does the card have great benefits?

Find out more about the Partnership card by reading our reviews from the Smart Money People community - people like you. You can also write your own John Lewis Partnership Card review to share your own experiences.

Smart Money People is the UK's leading financial services review and insight hub. Together, we can make financial services work better for everyone.

John Lewis Partnership Card reviews (876)

Review of the John Lewis, Partnership Card:

JLP and Newday in cahoots.

Told I'm ineligible - despite >50 years loyal JLP customer, 5 figure credit limit and score excellent - I have after communications with JLP managers concluded that this oust has been orchestrated by JLP. From sources including JLP and Newday websites,, I speculate: JL stores are in financial difficulty, currently supported by Waitrose itself on the brink. It’s not that JLP doesn't want higher spending loyal customers, it sure does; but what it wants is custom that doesn’t sap profits.    With the HBSC JL Partnership card, each £1 spent qualifies for a point, whose number depends upon whether spent at JL and/or W or elsewhere. The more elsewhere the less JLP gets the more it costs JLP. I think it used to be one point for every £1 spent in JLP, two for every £1 elsewhere. Nowadays for some eligible purchases at JL and W 5 points for every £4 spent; and for other eligible purchases at JL and W 1 point for every £4; 1 point for every £4 spent elsewhere. Fewer vouchers for spending elsewhere is not a deterrent. For example, if a card-holder with £5,000 credit limit spends £4000 a month elsewhere then JLP issues vouchers. Vouchers can only be used in JL or W but it doesn't follow the purchase price has to exceed the vouchers value. A cardholder could amass a substantial sum in vouchers without having spent a penny at JL or W. When using vouchers to buy in JL or W not have to buy anything involving any extra payment for the difference between the vouchers and price. JLP would make a loss. JLP says that over the last five years £230m has been issued in vouchers. How much of approximately £126,000 a day average has gone to customers that haven't paid JLP anything. By enlisting Newday to either render higher credit limit existing Partnership cardholders ineligible or where the applicant is eligible a substantially lower limit JLP is reducing the value of vouchers issued. JLP is probably getting a share of any interest paid by new card-holders and paying a lower commission on receivables (transaction sales). JLP I suspect envisages that where an existing Partnership cardholder is rejected that person would obtain a desired credit limit from another card provider and continue to buy from JL/W whenever. Whether enough existing Partnership cardholders would want to continue loyal to JLP is a separate issue. A JLP partner qualifying for discount told me that for most goods and services there are cheaper deals elsewhere. Not a deposit-taker Newday hasn't any revenue beyond credit cards. It borrows to re-lend, loan note interest between 2% and 6+% a year - with interest rates rising costs will go up: for how much longer its business is sustainable is anyone's guess. To finance JLP's transaction, Newday has taken out a loan of £650M. Any cardholder paying the whole balance monthly is getting an interest-free loan from the date of purchase to balance payment date - if you time it carefully then up to 45 days - so for that reason alone an existing JL Partnership cardholder is ineligible. Newday plans to float shares on the stock market next year so boosting the number of cardholders is to impress shareholders. A £5000 credit limit to one card holder (unlikely to pay interest) is akin to £500 limit to 10 card holders (likely to pay some interest). The net proceeds of a stock market float (rumoured capitalisation £2.5Bn) would provide a injection of interest-free cash. The sad part is that JLP could increase its profit margin and number of loyal customers without having to resort to destroying long-term customer relationships with JLP. Instead of the vouchers issued regardless of where a JL Partnership cardholder spends, the vouchers should be linked to the myJohnLewis and myWaitrose cards. Show or scan a my-card before paying and have the voucher value credited to the my-card - and since printing on paper is costly to administer, to issue every JL and W customer a my-card which can be produced by the customer at the check-out for credit and debit with the points/voucher value. Reviewed on: 5th September 2022

Appalling

Having read the other reviews on here, I’m now quite glad to have been refused a replacement card despite being a long term loyal customer, spending thousands every year and paying off the balance every month. Very poor decision by John Lewis. Reviewed on: 6th November 2022

New card blocked twice for missing a payment for which we have had no notification.

We had the Partnership Card for many years, never missed a payment, always paid in full each month. My husband is the main card holder and I have a second card. Did my Waitrose shop and the pin was ok but the card was declined. Waitrose staff not very helpful. Left my shopping and came home. My husband had to login to the website as my card number was not recognised and they did not have any details for me when I tried. Eventually we found that we had missed a payment that we have had no bill for digitally or otherwise and no reminder texts, emails or notifications? We had already paid the 'old' card up in October. Once we have figured out how, we will pay up the 'new' card and cancel it! No more Waitrose for us. Is this how John Lewis want to loose customers? Reviewed on: 6th November 2022

Card blocked twice for no reason

I have an impeccable history with my old John Lewis credit card. Never in debt. Balance paid in full every month. New credit card issued with no quibble. In the first few days my card was blocked by NewDay twice, losing me a supermarket delivery of food each time. A complaint to John Lewis itself results in a bland email saying that my complaint will be passed on to NewDay. What's the point? I'm still waiting for a satisfactoiry explanation from NewDay and their call centre staff don't seem to understand how the system works in the UK. One person told me that if I phoned Sainsburys (what? Another call centre?) he was sure they would understand and "send round some food". No, NewDay staff, once your card is blocked Sainsburys don't pop round with some food. just because they feel sorry for you. I'll be sorry to miss the JL vouchers on each spend but I will be cutting up my JL card and using another one in future. I can't leave the house without help and rely on my online food deliveries. Reviewed on: 6th November 2022

Transition to NewDay-awful experience

How come JL, having a month’s to prepare transition from old HSBC provider to NewDay not prepared anything well! Obtained credit limit significantly lower than on old card (despite having excellent credit ratings within credit rating agencies) and now I can’t pay using new card at some online shops. More than 40 min waiting time on customer service line is ridiculous!. I know from other reviews some customers hasn’t been accepted for credit card at all. Was really happy with old provider but not at all with the new one. That’s not JL quality at all!! Reviewed on: 6th November 2022

Appalling service from J Lewis. Newday

The service provided by Newday is appalling. Balances that are incorrect, payment details that are inaccurate and impossible to talk to any one at Newday J Lewis. How sad that someone decided to ditch HSBC and introduce NewDay. I will be switching to another credit card as I have had enough. Reviewed on: 6th November 2022

Appalling!

John Lewis, what have you done? New Day is a complete disaster. Had a John Lewis account for so many years but am now cancelling our cards. Absolute rubbish service. Reviewed on: 6th November 2022

Terrible credit card

16 day between statement being produced and payment due date! Used to be 25 days, as is Amex . Used his card for 8 years for when Amex isn’t accepted. I’ve moved over to Halifax. Why the bad move JL? Reviewed on: 6th November 2022

NewDay

NewDay are a disaster. Have just had my card frozen because they say I have not made a minimum payment. I didn't make the payment because I had already paid off the full balance - as I do every month. NewDay have not shown my last two months payments on the list of transactions even though they have quite clearly gone through evidenced by my bank statements. Getting through to speak to customer service at NewDay takes forever, probably deliberately so, and I ended up trying to sort the problems by text messages, went round and round in circles. Had got absolutely nowhere after two hours by which time the not too accurately named helpline had closed. John Lewis must accept some responsibility and really get to grips with these people Reviewed on: 5th November 2022

NewDay are a total disaster

John Lewis what have you done? Why have you changed to NewDay? They are a complete disaster as a credit card provider. They now allow 16 days from the statement date to pay it. Two when you take into account the postal times and the time for payment to clear you have a few days to pay it. Their customer service line was terrible. I was concerned about the poor review NewDay were showing online but decided to give them a chance. 1 month and 16 days was too long. I’ve used the JohnLewis card for probably 10+ years but this change to NewDay is the end for me Reviewed on: 5th November 2022

Disgraceful

Spent hours trying to make a payment , had to phone, eventually spoke to a very rude person who said I had to pick any account ….house of Fraser, next etc. as long as the reference no is entered. They said the payment was unsuccessful only to now hear they have taken TWO payments of over a thousand pounds !! Now have to try and phone them again to sort out. Very disappointing , don’t expect this from John Lewis. Reviewed on: 5th November 2022

Do you have a different John Lewis product?

Share your experiences with products to help others make smarter financial decisions and learn more about different products available. Write a review

Are you a business? Get insights, reply to reviews, invite customers and understand their needs

Alternative products

Credit Card
from thinkmoney 1.40 from 2 reviews
Overpay
from Incredible 4.55 from 5 reviews
Zero Credit Card
from Santander 3.84 from 17 reviews

Want to see more from John Lewis?

Travel Insurance
from John Lewis 4.75 from 3 reviews
Breakdown Insurance
from John Lewis 4.00 from 1 reviews
Home insurance
from John Lewis 2.17 from 72 reviews

View all products

Join Smart Money People

Keep up to date on ratings of your favourite businesses. Find out about our awards and write new reviews with ease

Create an account

News, guides and insight from our team

View resource hub